Reed-organ



2 sheet -sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. B. HAMILTON.

REED ORGAN.

Patented May 24, 1887.

m mi 3 m 7% f1. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ism of two ranges of reed-chambers.

JAMES BAILLIEHAMILTON, OF VVOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

REED-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 363,388, dated May 24, 1887.

Appliration filed March 10, 1887. Serial No. 230,376. (No model.)

To u,ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, JAMES BAILLIE HAM- ILTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, bntaresident of the city and county of Worcester, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Reed-Organs; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a front and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the valves and their operative mechan- Fig. 3

' is a. vertical section taken through two of such valves and their operative mechanism, one valve in such section being directly over the other, and both being closed on their seats. Fig. 4 is a like vertical section, but showing each of the valves as turned into a horizontal position, so as to uncover the. induction-openings of the reed-chambers. Fig. 5 is avertieal section taken through the several reedchambers and their registers.

The nature of my invention is defined in the claims hereinafter presented.

In the drawings, the reed induction airchambers are shown at A A, &c., there being in each of them two reeds, B, one of which is arranged in the upper and the other in the lower part of their cell or chamber, each of the said reeds being adapted, as usual, so as to be capable of being slid into or withdrawn from the chamber.

Directly under the lower reed, and also over the upper reed of each chamber, there is in the wood or block, F, in which the said chamber is formed an elongated mouth, a, leading out of which is a throat, b, that opens into the eduction-chamber G, such throat having going through it horizontally the passage 0, for reception of the register or cutoff D. The said register, fitting closely in the passage, is

provided with holes 8, going through it and corresponding in horizontal section to those of the throats b,with which it is to operate. By means of the register the throats may be closed or opened, as occasion may require. The mouth a is to allow of the proper vibrations of the reed-tongue and the air freely to escape and to be directed to and through the throat. To this end I termthe mouth a the reed tongue-vibration mouth.

The valve or pallet to each lower reed-champ her is shown at Gas fastened to the inner side of the vertical arms of a knee-lever, D,Whose fulcrum is a wire, 0, that goes horizontally through it, and is arranged in a groove, d, formed in a rail, E, arranged as shown, and having between it and the block F a cushion, e, of cloth. The rail E and the wire 0 are held in place by screws 9, which go through the rail and cloth and screw into the block, the heads of the said screws lapping upon the wire, andby so doing keeping it in place in the groove.

The valve or pallet of each upper reedchamber is-fastencd to an arm, D arranged directly over one of the knee-levers D, and

extends nearly down to it, such arm being provided with a turn-button, G, pivoted to it, and extending down from it and lapping upon the front face of thelonger arm ofthesaid kneelever. Each of the said arms is connected to the block F by devices such as are above described for connecting the knee-lever to such block.

Each arm D atits upper partis furcated to receive a spring, H, which, formed as shown and secured in a bar, I, fastened to the block F, bears upon a pin, 13, inserted transversely through the prongs of, the fureation. Each knee-lever is similarly furcated in its lower part, as shown, and has a pin 6 going trans versely through the prongs, a spring H like that hereinbefore described being arranged as represented and extended between the said prongs and bearing against the pin.

The operative wire of the knee-lever (shown at 1) is arranged to extend loosely through stationary metallic guide-plates Z Z, fixed to a shelf, t, and is extended upward between the prongs of the fur-cation of the knee-lever. There is fastened on the upper end of the said wire a button, m, and at a short distance below the knee-lever there is secured on the wire another such button, a, there being at a suitable distance below the guide-plates, and fixed on the wire, a third button, 0. The wirejust above the said third button 0 goes down through a lever, N, to be operated by one'of I00 taneously moved in a manner to carry their valves off the seats of such valves, in order to admit air into the induction-chambers of the reeds appertaining to such two valves. Furthermore, it will be seen, by turning the turnbutton off the knee-lever, that such lever may be turned down so as to bring its longer arm into a horizontal position, or thereabout, the rod in the meantime being forced downward by the lever bearing on the lower button a. In so moving downward the knee-lever will be thrown out of engagement with the rod, and when down will be held down by the action of its spring on the pin on which such spring bears.

The positions of the parts when the kneelever is depressed are shown in Fi 4, while in Fig. 3 they are represented as they are when the k nee-lever valve and that over it are closed on their seats. In Fig. 4 the arm carrying the upper valve is shown as raised to its highest position and there supported by its sprin Thus a person at any time, by striking the key, can simultaneously operate both valves of the knee-lever and the arm over it, and in case he may be desirous of access to either reed of the lower reed-chamber he can readily obtain such by first turning down the k nee'lever into the position shown in Fig. 4-. Should he desire access to the upper reed-chamber, he has only to turn the arm of its valve upward into the positionof it shown in the said Fig. 4. On returning the lower valve to its seat the knee-lever of such valve will engage with its actuating-wire, as the lower arm of the said kneelcver will pass between the buttons at and n, and by acting against the upper of the said two buttons will lift the wire. The object of the button a is to insure the downfall of the wire and its support in a proper position for the knee lever to leave the wire, and on rising to engage with it, for were the wire to drop until the upper button rested on the guideplate the knee-lever in rising could not engage with the wire; but by having the two buttons at and n to the wire the knee-lever and wire can be automatically disengaged on turning down the knee-lever and automatically cngaged on turning up the said knee-lever. In some cases, or when preferable, I extend across each reed-cell, at its middle, a horizontal partition, in order for the air to be equally distributed to the two reeds.

Each register or cut-off D is composed of two strata or sheets, a u, of wood and a stratum or layer, 12, of cloth or other suitable like yielding material, arranged between and glued or cemented to the said sheets. The median layer, by its elasticity, causes the cut-off to fit closely to the passage in which it is arranged.

1 claim in a reed-orgam- 1. The combination of the lower reed-chamber valve and its operative lever with the upper reed ehamber valve and a pivoted arm projecting down therefrom and applied to the said operative lever by means to enable it, when moved, to force its valve off its seat and to cause the arm to be simultaneously moved to force its valve off its seat, such lever and arm being provided with springs for impart ing reverse movements to them to close their valves upon their seats, as explained.

2. The combination,with the two reed-valves and their operative lever and arm, arranged as represented, of the turn-button pivoted to the said arm and extending down in front of the upper arm of the lever, as set forth.

3. The combination of the valve and its furcated knee-lever with the actuating-spring of the said lever and with the valve-operative rod, provided with the two buttons on and n, Y

and having below the lower one a guide or means for it (the said lower button) to rest on when the knee-lever is turned down, all being substantially as set forlh.

4. The combination, with the reed-chambcr and its reed and register, of the reed-tongue vibrating chamber and its throat or educt, arranged with such reed and register substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the reed-valve-leveractuating wire, provided with the three buttons, arranged on it as represented, with the lever applied to the wire over its lowest button, the wire guide or guides, and the furcated knee-lever and its valve and spring, all being substantially and to operate as set forth.

6. The register or cut-oil" D, as composed of the two layers or strata of wood. and the in terposed layer or stratum of cloth, glued or cemented. together.

JAMES BAILLIE HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, R. B. TORREY. 

